Is Cosmetic Surgery to Improve Your Figure Ever the Best Option?

Rob Blakeman
One of the UK's top celebrity fitness trainers and dieticians

Let me say right out and upfront what I think; People, who attempt to get an improved body purely through surgery but try to 'dodge' anything involving physical exercise and improved nutrition, are doomed to fail in their quest for pulchritude. Without the physical efforts or mental energy required for true physical advancement they will not become anywhere near as enriched in what matters as those who do it the right way. Let me explain why I feel so strongly; one shocking symptom of our instant gratification society that is most distressing (to this writer anyway), is the growing inappropriate or overuse of cosmetic surgery. This is when surgery is used to compensate completely for poor lifestyle. More and more people nowadays routinely set out to change their body shape through 'cutting and stitching' rather than with nutrition and exercise. They claim they haven't got the time to exercise or that they have other priorities and yet despite this, they still need the new with a shocking urgency.

There are two major drawbacks with this approach to "vanity problem solving". Firstly, the end result rarely matches expectations. A Liposuction treatment, a tummy tuck or a 'bum lift' will leave an uneven skin surface or worst still, permanent and aggressive scarring. If the surgery is remotely successful it will only heighten awareness of surrounding body parts that are soft, fleshy and without tone. Furthermore, with no change in lifestyle, pretty soon the problems will return. One will end up needing to have new surgery on top of old surgery-not pretty!

Stretched and surgically lifted skin is old skin. It is not freshly invigorated skin, rejuvenated by improved circulation gained from a healthy diet and regular exercise. Secondly, successful re-body shaping is akin to reinventing ourselves. There is nothing wrong with wanting to do that, and wanting a better body as part of that process is fine. It's good and it's valid but it must be holistic. The celebrities you may have seen pictures of who have had cosmetic surgery and look wonderful as a result invariably used it only as a finishing touch. The fine physique they exhibit was mainly achieved and more importantly is maintained with a disciplined eating plan and regular workouts. Take a look at your body and you will see that you carry the least fat on your extremes, your lower arms, lower legs and head. Then, the further towards the middle of your body you look, the fatter you become. That is why your workout program has to be for all of your body so everywhere gets shaped up equally.

Why do we so desire to own this great body? Is it just to be more attractive? No, if we get deep down inside ourselves and be completely honest, we find the real reason behind doing this is for a sense of self-mastery, efficacy. That's the real reason behind all goal achieving. To achieve a certain type of happiness connected only to achieving goals, in order to feel better about how we appear to others and ourselves. More often than not, the people who attempt this physical transformation through surgery alone inevitably find that they are really no different underneath. This is because they didn't take this philosophical approach. If you think you are going to overcome inadequacies and self doubts only as a result of having the nice body and you don't work on developing other aspects of your mind, like education, discipline and confidence as a result of true achievement, then you are mistaken. You may just be lucky enough to end up with a better body from the surgery but you will be bereft of the other qualities needed to make you truly happy. People who make this mistake tend to realise it sooner or later. Several months down the line they find themselves no further ahead intellectually than they were previously. They are still psychologically beset by the same conflicts and insecurities and self-doubt as they always were.

So, not only do you want the nice body but you also want additional confidence and a greater sense of self-mastery. You can only get all of these qualities by gaining the necessary knowledge about nutrition and productive exercise and recognising that you will only be a more effective person as a result of making all of the lifestyle changes to naturally improve your appearance. To gain real improved and lasting self worth you must realise that shaping and toning ALL of the body is important but feeding and training the mind is crucial.